A Bedtime Story
by RockDiva
Summary: It's bedtime for little Wilbur Robinson, and he's in for the story of a lifetime. A unique semiretelling of the movie. Oneshot.


**A/N**- This is such a trip down memory lane for me! This was the second ever oneshot I wrote for MTR and the first retelling of any movie or show that I've ever done. So yes, this is a retell in a sense, but it's not directly true to the movie's plotline for specific purposes of the storyline (you'll see what I mean...) and I end the story in this oneshot a little bit more quickly and shortcuttish than the movie. Other than that, I hope it's not too hard to follow. Be forewarned, there are huge blocks of dialogue since someone is telling a story. So it may be a bit confusing! It definitely had me reeling a little when I first wrote it...so much in fact, that just now I had to go back and edit a bunch of mistakes I had overlooked 7 months ago when I wrote it! So for those who have already read it at LiveJournal and think it seems a little different in a few places, that's why :P

And final note: in the game there is not actually a button to get from one level to the next in Wilbur's room, so yeah, that's actually a creation of Stacy (secretwindow1) or Robin (doodlegirll)...I really can't remember it's been so long...

* * *

"Okay, Wilbur, time for bed," Franny said as she carried her four year old son to his room. "Do you want to push the button?" Wilbur nodded that he did and so he pushed the button that raised a part of the first floor up to the second where Wilbur's bed was. She set him down. 

"Will daddy tell me a story?" the young Wilbur asked.

"Well, I don't know, sweetie. Daddy's been working very hard all day. And he's probably very tired," Franny started to say but was interrupted by the sound of the elevator moving again.

Before they knew it, there was Cornelius, "Daddy!"

"Hey there, champ. You didn't think I'd let you go to bed without saying goodnight now did you?"

"Tell me a story!" Wilbur tended to have a one track mind. All he cared about for the moment was a story.

"Oh, you want a story? Now let's see if I have any good ones…" Cornelius said as he sat down in a chair by the bed. Franny took her own seat on Wilbur's bed, which was cause for Wilbur to find his way to his mom's lap. "I've got one. There once was an adventurous prince named…"

"Wilbur!" Wilbur immediately shouted. Stories were better with his name in it.

"Exactly," Cornelius chuckled. "Prince Wilbur. Now one day, Prince Wilbur was roaming about the castle, when the beautiful queen…"

"Franny?" Franny arched an eyebrow and Cornelius wasn't sure if it was a question or a warning.

"How did you know?" he smiled. "The beautiful queen Franny looked at her son and said, my young and brave son, I need you to go on a quest. A quest to our farthest village. The village of Garage as an ambassador to the town squire, Lord Garbage Can."

"Garage, garbage?" Wilbur became discouraged.

"I think I'm with Wilbur on this one, honey," Franny added, completely unimpressed by her husband's tale.

"Ah, but that is where it gets interesting. For when the young prince arrived on the outskirts of the kingdom, he was greeted by a horrible tragedy. The kingdom had lost its most prized possession! A magical stallion that could transport its rider to any place through history."

"Cool! Like a time machine! I love time machines! They go whoosh. Too bad they're not real," Wilbur exclaimed but finished with a hint of disappointment.

"Maybe someday. Now this prince had a fascination with all things magical, and so took it upon himself to find the stallion and return it to its kingdom. However, no one believed that he could do such a feat since he was still just a boy. But he was determined to set things right nonetheless. He enlisted the help of the kingdom's jester. This jester was the only one in the kingdom who caught a glimpse of the villain who stole the stallion, and he had a way of finding out where he had escaped to."

"What was the jester's name?" Wilbur asked, wanting the details.

"Hmm, how about we call him Carl?"

"Aww, does Carl have to be in the story too?" Wilbur asked.

Carl, who loved sitting in on story time, had joined them. "Hey, be nice little buddy. But why do I have to be the jester?"

"Well, you see, Carl was not just any jester. He was a magician of sorts. That is how he was able to tell Prince Wilbur where to find the villainous Feathered Hat Guy who stole the stallion. 'But how do I get there?' Wilbur asked when he learned that the Feathered Hat Guy had made his way back in time several, several years. 'You see, I have the only other magic stallion there is in the world.' It was left in my charge by your father before he left for war."

Wilbur gasped a little before Cornelius continued. 'Then if my father has two magical stallions, I shall use the one to retrieve the other until both are returned safely,' Prince Wilbur proclaimed before setting out on the magical stallion."

"Where is the prince going?!" Wilbur was almost jumping up and down.

"Maybe we should finish this tomorrow," Cornelius looked at Franny for support, but surprisingly got none.

"Please finish it, dad! Please!"

"Yeah, dad, please!" Carl joined in helping Wilbur get his way.

Franny nodded her approval and Cornelius continued in telling his tale. "So, Prince Wilbur made his way to a small village in the past in search of the Feathered Hat Guy. He found him lurking about a somewhat homely building. There were several kids playing outside, and he soon realized that it was an orphanage." This caused Franny's eyebrow to arch yet again. "He knew this was his destination. For you see, the Feathered Hat Guy was in search of someone in particular. A boy who he wanted to keep from ever moving forward with his life."

"That's mean of him," Wilbur scowled.

"Yes, it is. The Prince also knew how important this boy would be for the kingdom someday. But the Feathered Hat Guy was determined to stop that future and create his own future where the kingdom would be under his control. So Prince Wilbur knew what he had to do. He had to find the boy and make sure nothing could happen to him. He found the boy sitting alone at the edge of the village; it was obvious that the boy was sad and lonely. You see, the boy had been left by his mother at the orphanage when he was just a baby."

"That is so sad," Carl made an overly dramatic sobbing sound although no tears came out seeing as he was a robot.

"You're such a baby, Carl," Wilbur tried to say with a cool attitude.

"No, Wilbur. It _was_ sad. Very sad, indeed. So Wilbur took it upon himself to try and cheer the boy. 'I'm Wilbur,' he said, but was answered only by a 'Go away' from the orphan boy. 'Look I'm only here to help you,' Wilbur insisted. 'Help me do what? I don't need anyone's help. I'm no good at anything and nobody wants me, so just act like everyone else who ever sees me and just get out of here okay?' 'Listen,' the Prince refused to take no for an answer, seeing as he could be very, very stubborn sometimes. 'If you don't change your attitude, you'll regret it in the future.' 'What are you talking about?' 'I'm saying, I'm from the future, and I know how important it is that you just keep moving forward.' Prince Wilbur declared.

"Keep moving forward!" little Wilbur exclaimed. "That's what you always say, daddy. Is the little orphan boy you?"

"Do you think he should be?" Cornelius asked with a smile.

"Maybe, I guess, since everyone else is in the story. But I like the name Lewis, can he be called Lewis?"

"Lewis?" Cornelius thought his heart would stop completely. _How does he know_? He wondered to himself.

"Are you okay, dad?" Wilbur asked after there had been a few moments of silence from his dad.

"Yeah, yeah, I am. I think Lewis is an excellent name. Okay, so Lewis of course didn't believe the Prince. But it wasn't long before he was proven wrong. Prince Wilbur grabbed Lewis by the hand and before he could even blink, he was hanging on to the horse, galloping at the fastest speed he had ever gone until suddenly there was a flash!" Wilbur jumped. "And Lewis saw himself in the same kingdom, but he could tell that things had progressed and the buildings were shaped differently. There were new buildings and then there were some buildings that were missing. Lewis couldn't believe his eyes. 'You really are from the future.' 'Yes, this is my kingdom, at least it will be someday. I'm the prince here,' Wilbur answered. Lewis became a bit fearful of the way he had treated the prince, 'I'm sorry for not believing you, your majesty.' 'I'm willing to forgive your mistake this time, but don't let it happen again,' it was clear that the prince enjoyed having power over the orphan boy and the ability to boss him around. 'Now I really must take you back to your own time,' Wilbur urged. 'Wait,' Lewis begged. 'I ask that I be taken back to when I was a baby. Only for a moment. I long to see my mother and who she was.' 'I can not do that,' Wilbur responded. 'Why not, your highness? All I ask is to see my mother. I had planned to run away to find her, but if I could see her first, I would know her should I ever find her,' Lewis continued to plead. 'I'm sorry. Your place is in the orphanage. You can't run away…it would ruin everything.' 'I don't understand!' Lewis's cry spooked the stallion, bucking the both of them from it before it ran off into a nearby wood."

"Oh no!" young Wilbur cried as he became immersed in the story.

"Oh no," Franny played along; at least she pretended that she was only playing along. In actuality, she was enjoying her husband's story, no matter how outlandish or fantastical she thought it was.

"Oh yes. What could they do? Lewis was now trapped in the future until they could find the magical stallion. 'We need help, or I'm dead. And a prince can't run a kingdom if he's dead!' Wilbur began to panic as he ran to find Carl, commanding Lewis to remain behind at his palace as he did. Although it had been the prince's wishes to keep Lewis out of sight, it wasn't long before the royal family stumbled upon him as he stayed in the palace. Wilbur returned, bringing Carl back with him, he learned of his family's knowledge of Lewis. The queen was quite charmed by the boy, and took pity on him when she learned that he was an orphan with no family. Of course, they didn't tell her that he was an orphan from the past. She favored him with the allowance for a meal at the royal dining table. 'Perhaps he could live here in the palace. He could be your chamberlain, Wilbur,' she suggested.

"What did he eat?" Wilbur suddenly asked, not ever able to keep quiet for too long.

"Well, Lewis was a good boy who ate his vegetables."

"Yuck! _Dad_."

"Okay, he ate spaghetti. But even as Lewis sat there eating with the royal family, he was not safe. Outside the palace, the Feathered Hat Guy had a weapon he meant to use to destroy poor Lewis. The royal family heard screams of several palace workers when suddenly, a giant tyrannosaurus rex broke through the walls of the dining hall in pursuit of the orphan boy. After a struggle, the t-rex failed to destroy Lewis although it had almost destroyed Prince Wilbur. The queen rushed to make sure her son was okay. However, amid the excitement, Lewis accidentally called the queen mom."

"Uh-oh, he's in trouble now," Wilbur immediately assumed.

"The queen's heart went out to the boy, and wanted more than anything to make his life better. Perhaps he _could_ live here in the palace with us,' she suggested. But Wilbur knew that it was impossible. He revealed that Lewis was from the past. 'He can't stay here,' Queen Franny became worried. Lewis didn't quite understand. He felt his heart sink even lower when he heard Prince Wilbur mistakenly mutter that he had never actually planned to take Lewis to see his mother. Feeling unwanted and betrayed, Lewis ran away from the palace, but hadn't gotten far when out of nowhere, the Feathered Hat Guy found him and kidnapped him."

Wilbur gasped a very large gasp, and Franny became a bit worried, "Maybe this story is getting too scary for Wilbur. Maybe we should stop it here."

"I'm not scared, mom," Wilbur said defiantly. "I'm a big kid who doesn't get scared."

"Is that so?" Franny looked at him. "Okay, but if it starts to scare you, say something okay?"

"Don't worry," Cornelius intervened. "Because, it was with the Feathered Hat Guy, that Lewis learned everything he needed to know. He learned why the man hated him so. You see, the Feathered Hat Guy had been a very close friend to Lewis in the past. He was also an orphan, but he had become angry with Lewis, and had vowed vengeance for causing him to lose an, uh, archery contest. Lewis also learned that Prince Wilbur was his son."

"His son?" Wilbur, Franny and Carl all asked simultaneously almost in disbelief.

"Then wouldn't that make him the future king?" Wilbur asked.

"Yes, it would. You see, Lewis would one day learn that his mother had been the sister of the king, making him the heir to the kingdom since the king and queen had no children of their own. But as revenge, the Feathered Hat Guy was determined to stop Lewis from ever being king."

"That's not nice," Wilbur said, letting out a large yawn. It was obvious that he was growing tired and was fighting to stay awake.

"Not nice at all," Cornelius said, noting his son's sleepy eyes. He began reworking the story in his mind before continuing aloud. "But Lewis realized that he hadn't always been that nice to his old friend either. So he begged the Feathered Hat Guy to forgive him. 'I'm sorry for not being a better friend. I promise I'll fix it. Please forgive me.' A tear formed in the Feathered Hat Guy's eyes, proving that beneath his somewhat scary outside was an inside with a soft heart that just wanted to be loved and accepted, just like Lewis wanted. 'I'm sorry,' Lewis said again. 'Really sorry or just fake sorry?' the Feathered Hat Guy asked. 'Really sorry.' It was enough to change the villain's mind. And Lewis was able to help return the magical stallion to his future kingdom. Just in time, for the king had returned home from the war, and was alarmed to find the magical stallions missing. When he saw his younger self, he immediately realized everything that had happened. The king took himself aside and explained to him how important it was for him to never run away in search of his mother. Lewis decided he would forget the past and return home. So after saying his goodbyes, Prince Wilbur returned Lewis to the past, and after realizing that his father was now his best friend, he returned to the future…and they all lived happily ever after."

"Even the Feathered Hat Guy?" Wilbur asked skeptically.

"Yes, even the Feathered Hat Guy," Cornelius chuckled. "The end."

"Alright little mister, now it's time for sleep," Franny said as she tucked her son into his bed.

"That was such a wonderful story," Carl said excitedly.

"Shh," Cornelius warned, seeing as Wilbur had already closed his eyes and was on the verge of falling to sleep.

------------

Cornelius and Franny were both sitting up in their very large bed. Cornelius had a notepad on which he was working some calculations for a new invention, while Franny was reading a book titled, _Raising an Obedient Child_. After awhile, Franny closed the book and looked at her husband. "That was quite an interesting story tonight, dear. A little hard to follow at the end, but still nice."

"Hmm? Yes, well, it was sort of based on a true story."

"Really? And how's that? I've never heard of Feathered Hat Guys or ways to travel through time. Although I can understand beautiful queens named Franny," she smiled.

"Well, I changed a lot of it, but believe me, it's definitely something that happened…or will happen. Hmm…however you look at it, there's one thing that _I _don't get. When I was telling the story and Wilbur asked for the orphan boy to be named Lewis…"

"Yes, you're right. I've never called you Lewis since high school. And no one else has either for that matter. I wonder where he heard the name." Cornelius could only shrug. "Maybe it's just a father/son connection. Just like the first day we met, and you said I was right. It was like you somehow knew that I loved it when people said I was right."

"Yeah," Cornelius smiled, "I guess you're right now too." Cornelius thought about it a little more before going back to his notepad and a new invention almost shaped like a bowler hat. Suddenly, he thought of his story and remembered a promise he had once made. He quickly ripped off the paper, crumpled it up and tossed it away. "That's one invention that will never see the light of day."


End file.
